Chocolate Stains
by Avocado
Summary: Xelloss/Filia. Set after TRY. Filia seizes the moment; will she regret it? Winner- Random Slayers chibi ficlet contest.


This is a work of fanfiction; these characters do not belong to me.  I am making no money off of this.

Pairing: Xelloss/Filia -- because of this pairing, there will be some "slight" canon violations.

Warnings: none, other than the pairing

Setting: After TRY, some spoilers for the ending.

Html edited to eliminate disallowed tags inserted by Word resulting in funky spacing. 

Chocolate Stains

She sensed him before she saw him, she supposed.  Feeling a familiar sense of unease, Filia looked out her shop window, and saw him walking by.  Seeing him there so unexpectedly, she froze for a moment, then, at his movement, realized her chance was fading.

Business was always slow in the weapons and ceramics business.  Slow enough that she felt safe in leaving the shop to the care of the one-eyed disaster duo.  With a quick order to mind the shop and the egg, she ran out the door.

She was sprinting after him, decorum be damned, but she still wanted to hold onto some shred of dignity.  She gave herself a few seconds at a slow walk before touching him to make him aware of her presence.

She touched him on his black-robed shoulder.  Without even turning to face her, he said, "What is it, Filia-san?"

She felt the heat rise in her cheeks.  She had forgotten he could sense her as easily as she could sense him.  Dignity be damned, then, she thought, realizing he'd known of her sprint after him all the time.  Forcing her voice to steadiness, she answered him.  "I wanted to talk to you, Xelloss."

He turned slowly to face her, one irritating purple brow raised in query.  "To talk, Filia-san?"

She blinked rapidly a few times, striving for control.  This was so easy for him.  "I thought I could buy you something and we could talk?"

"I don't need to eat, Filia-san."  It was a flat rejection.

She tried to ignore it, offering a quick smile.  "I know.  But you _can_ eat.  I've heard you like Sailoon's famous soft-serve ice cream.  I thought I could buy you some."

Two faint lines appeared between his brows.  His voice sounded hesitant.  "All right, Filia."

"Good."  A little gingerly, she took his arm, pulling him with her to the nearest ice cream shop.

Sitting at a small round table just outside the ice cream shop, she watched him lick slowly at his cone.  She tried to eat hers with the same grace-- chocolate for healthy dragons-- but managed to smear a little on her cuff.  The brown stain was all-too-visible against her white robes.  They stained so easily; she was no longer a priestess-- maybe she should change to some other color.

Xelloss cleared his throat, still working on the ice cream cone.  "So, Filia-san.  What is it?"  His voice was back to the ever-so-faintly amused tone that usually characterized his comments.

She popped the last of her cone into her mouth and chewed it as neatly as possible.  A bit of melting ice cream traced a path down from the corner of her mouth, and she tried to clean it away with fingers and tongue.  She wondered if she looked like a little child to him, sometimes.  Then, she realized that he either saw her as a child-- less than a tenth of his age-- or as an enemy.  She didn't know which was the worse option.  But, then, finding out exactly what he thought was the reason why she was speaking to him, wasn't it?  "Did you enjoy your ice cream?"

He nodded slowly.  "How did you know I liked it?"

_I know everything about you, Xelloss_.  She said, "Oh, Lina might have mentioned it once."  She waved offhandedly.  "How have you been?"

Real puzzlement in his tone.  "I'm fine, Filia."

"Good."  She offered him the information he hadn't asked for.  "I've been doing well, Xelloss.  Business is slow.  Valterria hasn't hatched yet."

"And the one-eyed wonders?"

She drew hope from the fact that he was actually asking her questions.  "Oh, they never change.  They're fairly disaster-prone.  Jiras is intent on increasing weapon stocks; they're just not selling very well."

"You _are_ in the justice capital of the world."

"That's true.  It doesn't seem to keep _you_ out."

He gave her his usual upturned eyes, happy smile.  "Certainly not, Filia-san."

She cleared her throat, gazing down uncomfortably at the all-too-visible chocolate stain on her cuff.  She felt her lips twist.  This had been a mistake.  She looked up again, carefully avoiding Xelloss' face, scanning the crowd around her to avoid meeting his eyes.  "I shouldn't have..."

"What is it, Filia-san?"

She closed her eyes, and steeled herself.  Beating around the bush was getting her nowhere.  If she intended to try this, she'd just have to make a push and _do_ it.  Over the sick feeling of ice cream-smothered butterflies in her stomach, she opened her eyes resolutely and leaned across the table toward the Mazoku.  Her tongue darted over her lips.  His eyes started to open to narrow slits.  With a burst of resolution, she fixed her parted lips on his.  Her tongue flicked across his lower lip, giving her a taste of the strawberry ice cream she had bought for him.

He didn't pull back, but he didn't respond either.

Eventually, _she_ pulled back, unwilling to force it farther.  She sat back in her seat, burying her eyes in one hand.  How could she face him now?

They sat in silence for a few minutes.  Then, at last-- "Why did you do that, Filia?"  
  


She shook her head, rubbing her forehead against her hand.  She still wouldn't look at him.  "Haven't I humiliated myself enough for one lifetime?"

"What do you have to lose at this point?"

She laughed bitterly.  "Whatever dignity I have left, Xelloss.  That may not mean much to you, but it means something to me."

"Then I suppose you should work out exactly what your dignity is worth to you compared with the value of what you might get for sacrificing it."

He was offering hope.  It was cheapened by the fact that he _ate_ pain.  Well.  She could grab it with both hands, or run away now.  Once again, she kicked herself.  She shouldn't have chased after him without planning their encounter.  She never would have done it, but she had no idea when she might encounter him again.  Now that she had committed herself...  "I'm-- I guess the word is 'infatuated'-- with you, Xelloss.  Ceiphied only knows why.  When I saw you today, I thought I'd try to find out how you feel about me."

He let the pause drag on.  "What did you conclude?"

She forced her eyes up to meet his, catching sight of the chocolate stain on her way up.  :_Damn.:_  As she should have predicted, his eyes were closed.  "I can't tell, Xelloss.  I don't think you hate me, but more than that?  I have no idea.  I thought that if I kissed you, I might be able to tell, but it was no better."

"You could try asking."

"And hear _'sore wa himitsu desu'_ for my trouble?"  She shrugged.  He'd offered; she'd try it.  "All right, Xelloss.  What do you think of me?  Are you at all interested in me?  Do you just see me as an unruly child?  Have I humiliated myself for no reason at all?"

It was a long, long pause.  She'd given up hope of any response at all before his eyes opened and he spoke.  "I wouldn't say you did this for no reason at all, Filia.  I never would have expected it from you.  I don't see you as an 'unruly child'-- you're younger than I am, but, then, everyone is.  I respected you for taking a stand against your gold dragon clan, and for choosing to raise Valterria."

Her tension hadn't faded.  He hadn't answered the most important questions.  She laced her fingers to keep them from twitching.

"I think you're the only dragon in the last millennium I would admit any respect for.  I think you're the only dragon I've met who doesn't cringe and run in terror from me.  I find-- and have always found-- you beautiful in either form.  You say you're 'infatuated' with me, Filia.  I wasn't expecting that from you.  Should you consider your feelings returned?"  His lips pressed tight together, eyes locking with hers.  "Yes."  He held her eyes for a few moments, then looked away.  "I'm going farther out on a limb than you are, you realize, Filia.  You tell anyone about this, you'll get nothing but sympathy.  I tell anyone, and I'm begging for destruction."  He gave a short laugh.  "It's good I'm so skilled at keeping secrets."

Filia could only stare at him, shocked.  Having not imagined this scene at all, she could not have imagined this.  Even so, she wouldn't have dared to imagine any confession approaching this in her wildest dreams.  "Xelloss..."

His eyes were still open, mouth curved in a bitter line.  "Care to retract your confession now, Filia?"

She shook her head, hair whipping her cheeks.  "I meant it."

"So."  The bitter twist smoothed out of his lips.  "Would you care to try that kiss again?"

The heat rose in her face, but she obligingly rose and walked over to his side of the table.  This time, he rose, meeting her parted lips with her own.  The resulting kiss was more than enough to obliterate her worries about chocolate stains.


End file.
